Prince William and Prince Harry’s uncle Lord Fellowes leaves behind astonishing sum in his will after his death aged 82 – but neither royal will get a penny

Prince William and Prince Harry’s uncle Robert Fellowes left almost £1.5million in his will, documents reveal – but not a penny for either royal.

Lord Fellowes, who was married to Princess Diana’s sister Lady Jane Spencer, died in July last year at the age of 82.

A working member of the Royal Household who later served as private secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, he was close with both William and Harry, particularly before the latter’s retreat from working royal life.

Court documents show the life peer’s £1,517,053 net fortune has been left almost entirely to his wife Lady Jane, also known as Baroness Fellowes – save for a handful of gifts to friends and local charities.

A grant of probate authorised by the High Court of Justice on May 14 named Baroness Fellowes and their son, investment banker Alexander, as executors of his estate.

And his last will and testament, made in June 2012, declares that he would leave all of his possessions to Lady Jane, with any income from his estate to also be passed to her.

However, the document also details his wish that his estate be used to support his wider family for their ‘advancement and benefit generally’.

It covers his wife, children Eleanor, Alexander, and Laura and their descendants, as well as their spouses.

However, he has not left any share of his fortune to his nephews, Princes William and Harry (pictured ahead of the Queen’s funeral in September 2022)

Instead, he has left his estate in the care of his wife Lady Jane Spencer (pictured) as well as his son Alexander

Lord Fellowes’ will details a small number of beneficiaries who received cash gifts from his legacy.

They include Andrew Grange, a resident of Snettisham, who received £1,000; and Tapping House Hospice in West Snettisham, which received the same.

St Mary’s Church, where his funeral was held, was given £500, while the Rhodes Trust, an international scholarship operated by Oxford University, was given £1,000.

The Provost and Fellows of Eton College also received £5,000. 

Lord Fellowes entered the Royal Household in 1977 and served as Queen Elizabeth II’s private secretary across the 1990s – arguably the most pivotal period of her reign.

He was there to assist during her ‘annus horribilis’ in 1992 – when the then-Prince Charles was at war with Diana, Andrew separated from Sarah, Princess Anne divorced, Windsor Castle burned and public opinion turned against the royal family.

Lord Fellowes was also the Queen’s trusted counsel following the death of his sister-in-law, Diana, in Paris in August 1997.  

Appointed a life peer in 1999 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, he later remained an extra equerry to the Queen until her death in September 2022.

His role in royal affairs was later fictionalised in The Queen, where he was portrayed by Dominic Jephcott alongside Helen Mirren as the monarch, and by Andrew Havill in series five and six of Netflix’ The Crown.

The Fellowes continued to play an important role in royal life in later years, recognised by observers as one of the few neutral parties who can bridge the divide between William and Harry.

Lord Fellowes served as the Queen’s private secretary between 1990 and 1993

The family was extremely close to the royal household (pictured: Prince William as a boy alongside Lord Fellowes’ son Alexander, as Diana follows behind) 

Lady Jane has continued to play an important supporting role in the princes’ lives (pictured right greeting William as Harry greets aunt Lady Sarah McCorquodale in 2021)

The Fellowes are seen as one of the few parties capable of navigating the divide between William and Harry (Lady Jane pictured at Harry’s Invictus Games anniversary event in St Paul’s Cathedral in May 2024)

Lord Fellowes’ funeral was held at St Mary’s Church in Snettisham – attended by both William and Harry

Harry gave ‘standout thanks’ to Jane, Sarah and Earl Spencer in his book, and Jane was seen to attend Harry’s Invictus Games anniversary event at St Paul’s Cathedral a year ago.

The princes both attended his funeral at St. Mary’s Church in the village of Snettisham, Norfolk where he lived – but reportedly refused to speak to each other amid an ongoing rift between them.

The younger Prince was not thought to be coming to the service due to fears for his security – coming shortly after he lost the second-most recent legal challenge to retain royal-level police protection.

But it later emerged he did make a clandestine trip to Britain to attend the service, sitting rows apart on opposite ends of the aisle in St Mary’s, witnesses said.

They reportedly stood ‘back to back’ talking to mourners and did not speak to one another. Harry was said to have departed quickly in a black Range Rover.

The Reverend Dan Tansey, the vicar who conducted the service, later told the Mail he said he did not recall Harry and William speaking to each other, but said there were a ‘lot of family members and friends speaking to them’.

‘It was a surprise but a really pleasant one that they had both come, but maybe less shocking that William was there,’ he said last August.

‘On the way out, they both said thank you for the service and I thanked them for coming. At the reception afterwards, there was a very relaxed and cordial atmosphere.

‘It would have meant a lot to Lord Fellowes to have them both at the service. He loved them both very much.’